High modulus thermoplastic films and their use as cash register tapes

ABSTRACT

A thermally printable commercially functional cash register tape produced from a thin oriented, heat stabilized, thermoplastic film is described. This thermoplastic tape replaces the currently used paper cash register tape. It will accept printing, has sufficient machine direction stiffness and sufficiently reduced surface electrical charges to function in conventional commercial cash register printers. The thermoplastic tape is much thinner than the conventional paper tape so a roll of the plastic register tape contains about 4.7 times the paper length of a typical cash register roll.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. Ser. No.11/254,622, filed Oct. 20, 2005, now abandoned which was acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 10/728,321, filed Dec. 4, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to thermoplastic films ofsufficient stiffness for use in high speed printing equipment.Specifically, the present invention describes an improved cash registerreceipt tape produced from a coated, monolayer, oriented, heatstabilized thermoplastic film.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, point-of-sale cash register receipts are printed on a papertape using inkjet, thermal image or ribbon printers. Numerous patentsdescribe inventions of plastic films to replace these paper tapereceipts. The primary focus for many of these inventions is to describea plastic printer register receipt that is “co-recyclable” with existingplastic shopping bags.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,218 to Dobreski presents a generaldescription of plastic materials for use as a register receipt tape thatis claimed to be recyclable. The concepts embodied in the Dobreskipatent were continued in U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,177 to Ewing, whichsimilarly provides a somewhat general description of a recyclableplastic register tape. In the Background section, the '177 patent notesthat the Dobreski patent, “does not provide sufficient details to selecta specific thermoplastic material which is economical, of sufficientstrength and which can be reliably fabricated into a printable film.”

U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,034, also to Ewing, discloses a recyclable registertape in which the base sheet materials and thermally printed media arecombined prior to production of the film.

The above-described prior art laudably recognizes the benefit ofproviding a thin, thermoplastic register tape as a replacement for priorpaper tapes. Specifically, the current commonly used paper tape rangesin thickness from 2.1 to 2.5 mils. A cash register paper tape roll3-inches in diameter wound on a ⅞-in. diameter core contains 230 feet ofpaper register tape. A 3 inch diameter roll of a 0.5 mil thickthermoplastic tape wound on a ⅞ in. diameter core contains 1,077.9 feetof thermoplastic register tape or 4.7 times the length included in asimilar diameter paper register tape roll. The thermoplastic tapetherefore should provide numerous economies to firms and individualsusing cash register printers and receipt printers since the additionaltape length available in the thermoplastic tape roll should result inless frequent roll changes at the cash register or receipt printer andless storage space for register tape roll inventory. However, the priorart to date has failed to yield a thermoplastic tape having adequatephysical properties to serve as a drop-in replacement for current paperregister tapes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one purpose of the present invention to provide athermoplastic register or receipt tape having sufficient stiffness torun in current receipt printers. It is a further purpose of the presentinvention to provide such a thermoplastic film with adequate antistaticproperties for printing. Specifically the film must have sufficientstiffness in the machine direction and it must also be capable ofdissipating static electrical charges that accumulate on the filmsurface as a result of the film encountering and separating from printerrollers as it moves through the printer during the printing process.Many of the commercial receipt printers are constructed with plasticcases that may develop high static electricity charges. If the registerfilm is not relatively static free, it may be attracted to the casecausing the film to jam during the printing process. Similarly a filmwith insufficient machine direction stiffness will jam during theprinting process.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an oriented,thermoplastic composite for use as a register or receipt tape, which isformed of a monolayer film having a first outer film surface and asecond outer film surface, with an anti-static coating on the firstouter film surface and a heat sensitive, thermal image coating on thesecond outer film surface, wherein the composite is essentially non-heatshrinkable and has a 1% secant modulus in the machine direction of atleast 150,000 psi. Preferably the overall composite has a thickness fromabout 0.35 to about 1.50 mils, more preferably from about 0.50 to about0.75 mils. It is also preferred that the 1% secant modulus in themachine direction is at least about 200,000 psi. The monolayer film maybe formed from a polymer such as polyethylene, polypropylene, linear lowdensity polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester or blends thereof, althoughpolyester is preferred. Preferably, the monolayer film is biaxiallyoriented, although it is also within the scope of the present inventionfor the monolayer film to be uniaxially oriented in the machinedirection. Optionally, at least one structural component of thecomposite has a pigment blended therein. However, it has been found inaccordance with the present invention that an excellent final product isproduced when none of the structural components contain a pigment.

Further, the present invention is directed to a method to make athermoplastic composite suitable for use as a register or receipt tape,which includes the steps of:

-   -   a) extruding a monolayer film having a first outer film surface        and a second outer film surface;    -   b) orienting the film;    -   c) annealing the film;    -   d) surface treating each of the first and second outer film        surfaces, thereby preparing each surface for subsequent coating;    -   e) applying an anti-static coating to the first outer film        surface; and    -   f) applying a heat sensitive, thermal image coating to the        second outer film surface.        In a preferred embodiment the step of orienting involves        biaxially orienting, preferably such that the product of the        machine direction and transverse direction stretch ratios is        from about 2.0× to about 50.0×. Preferably the step of surface        treating each of the first and second outer film surfaces        involves corona treating.

Additionally, the present invention is directed to an oriented,essentially non-heat shrinkable, thermoplastic composite for use as aregister or receipt tape which includes a film having a first outer filmsurface and a second outer film surface, the film having at least a corelayer, a heat sensitive, thermal image coating on the first outer filmsurface, and means for dissipating static electrical charges, whereinnone of the composite components contain a pigment and wherein thecomposite has a 1% secant modulus in the machine direction of at least150,000 psi. In one embodiment the means for dissipating staticelectrical charges is an outer film layer, which includes an anti-staticadditive. In an alternative embodiment the means for dissipating staticelectrical charges is an anti-static coating on the second outer filmsurface. Preferably, the composite has a thickness of from about 0.35mils to about 1.5 mils, more preferably of from about 0.50 mils to about0.75 mils. It is also preferred that the core film layer is a polymersuch as polyethylene, polypropylene, linear low density polyethylene,polystyrene, polyester or blends thereof. Polyester is preferred. In oneembodiment the film may include at least one outer layer which is ablend of polyester and a further polymer which is immiscible withpolyester.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE OF THE DRAWING

The present invention will be described with reference to the followingdrawing:

FIG. 1 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a thermoplastic printingor register tape in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of an alternativethermoplastic printing or register tape in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Generally, the present invention is directed to an oriented, essentiallynon-heat shrinkable thermoplastic composite for use as a register orreceipt tape. FIG. 1 of the drawing illustrates an embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein the composite 10 is formed of a film 12having at least one outer coating 20. As shown in the embodiment of FIG.1, film 12 includes a core layer 14, a first outer layer 16, and asecond outer layer 18. First outer layer 16 has an outermost surfacewhich is a first outer film surface 17 and second outer layer 18 has anoutermost surface which is a second outer film surface 19. In thisembodiment, outer coating 20 has been applied to second outer filmsurface 19.

The overall composite preferably has a thickness in the range of fromabout 0.35 mils to about 1.5 mils, preferably from about 0.50 mils toabout 0.75 mils.

Turning to the specific function of each component of composite 10, thecore layer of the film provides the film stiffness, the first outerlayer provides anti-static properties, and the outer coating 20 providesa printable surface. The second outer layer 18 of the film is preferredbut optional. Outer coating 20 may be applied directly to an outersurface of the core layer. If outer layer 18 is present it preferablyincludes a pigment which renders the film opaque in order to enhance thevisibility of the printing. If outer layer 18 is not present at leastone of the remaining film components may include a pigment. A preferredpigment for use in accordance with the present invention is titaniumdioxide.

The core layer may be formed of any of a number of thermoplasticpolymers or polymer blends. Preferred polymers for use in the core layerinclude polyethylene homopolymers and copolymers, including low densitypolyethylene and high density polyethylene, polypropylene homopolymersand copolymers, linear low density polyethylene, polystyrene orpolyester. However, any suitable thermoplastic polymer or polymers maybe employed. Polyester is particularly preferred. The core layerpreferably comprises from about 50% to about 85% of the overall filmthickness.

In one embodiment, core layer 14 preferably includes a cavitationpromoting additive such as Ampacet 110881, supplied by Ampacet Corp.,Tarrytown, N.Y., which is calcium carbonate and titanium dioxide in ahigh density polyethylene carrier. With such an additive a relativelythick core layer may be formed with a reduced volume of polymer.However, a cavitation promoting additive only may be employed if bothouter film layers are present. Otherwise, the additive would render theouter surface of the core layer, which would comprise an outer filmsurface, unsuitable for receiving a coating.

As noted above, optionally, the core layer may include a pigment.However, a reduced amount of pigment may be employed if it isincorporated into one of the thinner layers or a thin coating. Thus,from an economic perspective, if the core layer is the thickest layer,it may be the least preferred composite component for carrying thepigment. Further, it unexpectedly has been found in accordance with thepresent invention that a high quality, legible, final product may beproduced without the incorporation of a pigment into any of thestructural composite components. For example, as is illustrated below inExamples 8 and 9, below, a commercially available multilayer film hasbeen found which is a white matt film but which contains no pigment.Instead, a relatively thick core layer is flanked by at least one butpreferably two outer layers which are composed of a major portion of thepolymer of the core layer blended with a minor portion of a polymerwhich is immiscible with the polymer of the core layer. When thiscombination of polymer layers is coextruded and oriented, the immisciblecomponent in the outer layer forms small globules which refract lightthereby creating opacity. Further, even without employing such mattfilm, it has been found that the inherent opacity of most thermal imagecoatings renders the final composite sufficiently opaque to render theresultant receipt legible. Additionally, a thermal image coating whichis essentially clear and would, therefore, permit the production of anessentially clear composite, is also within the scope of the presentinvention.

Continuing with a discussion of FIG. 1, preferably first outer layer 16provides anti-static properties to the film. Generally, there are twoclasses of anti-static agents, migratory and non-migratory, that can beused to dissipate static electricity charges that accumulate on thesurfaces of plastic films. Each class has advantages and disadvantages.Migratory additives, either amine or non-amine, are inexpensive comparedto non-migratory additives and work by diffusing to the film surfaceafter the film is blown or cast. Once on the surface, they attractatmospheric moisture to the film surface to dissipate static electricitycharges. This type of additive is not effective in very dry climates orin conditions where there is insufficient moisture in the air.Accordingly, non-migratory additives, which work by forming a continuousmatrix that is electrically conductive within the film structure, arepreferred for use in accordance with the present embodiment. A preferrednon-migratory anti-static additive for use in accordance with thepresent invention is Antistat PE MB 101710, a polyethylene-basedantistatic additive supplied by Ampacet Corp., Tarrytown, N.Y. In orderfor a non-migratory additive to be economically viable, it becomesnecessary to minimize the amount of additive employed by limiting theinclusion of this additive to a thin surface layer. Thus, it ispreferred that first outer layer 16 which carries the non-migratoryadditive comprises from about 7.5% to about 25% of the overall thicknessof film 12.

Alternatively, the composite may include an anti-static coating. Suchcoating may be applied to the outer film surface 17 or the first outerlayer 16 may be omitted and the anti-static coating may be applieddirectly to an outermost surface of the core layer. Such alternativeconfiguration is discussed in greater detail below with respect to thecomposite of FIG. 2.

In accordance with the present invention, outer coating 20, whichprovides a printable surface to the composite, is opposite to theanti-static layer or coating because the “back,” or non-printing,surface of the composite is subjected to the higher degree of frictionas the tape passes through the printer. Coating 20 is a heat sensitive,thermal image coating such as Protecoat 8468, supplied by NuCoat, Inc.,Plymouth, Minn. The thermal image coating may be applied directly to anouter surface of the core layer. However, in one embodiment it ispreferred that film 12 includes second outer layer 18 and the coating isapplied to outer film surface 19. For this embodiment, preferably secondouter layer 18 comprises from about 7.5% to about 25% of the overallfilm thickness. Further, second outer layer 18 may include a pigment insufficient quantity to render the composite opaque. However, the pigmentmay be incorporated into the composite in any component includingcoating 20 or not employed in any of the composite components. As notedabove, most known thermal image coatings are sufficiently opaque to lenda desired degree of opacity of the final composite such that a pigmentis not necessary.

FIG. 2 of the drawing illustrates an alternative embodiment wherein thecomposite 100 is formed of a monolayer film 112 having a first outerfilm surface 117 and a second outer film surface 119. Outer coating 110has been applied to first outer film surface 117 and outer coating 120has been applied to second outer film surface 119. Hereagain, theoverall composite preferably has a thickness in the range of from about0.35 mils to about 1.5 mils, preferably from about 0.50 mils to about0.75 mils.

Turning to the specific function of each component of composite 100, themonolayer film 112 provides the composite stiffness and other requisitephysical properties, outer coating 110 provides anti-static properties,and outer coating 120 provides a printable surface. Optionally, one ofthe composite components may include a pigment. However, as noted above,it has been found unexpectedly in accordance with the present inventionthat a pigment is not required for the final, printed composite registertape or receipt to be legible. Thus, in a preferred embodiment none ofthe composite components contain a pigment.

As with the core layer of composite 10, discussed above, the monolayerfilm of composite 100 may be formed of any of a number of thermoplasticpolymers or polymer blends. Preferred polymers for use in the core layerinclude polyethylene homopolymers and copolymers, including low densitypolyethylene and high density polyethylene, polypropylene homopolymersand copolymers, linear low density polyethylene, polystyrene, polyesteror blends thereof. However, any suitable thermoplastic polymer orpolymers may be employed. Most preferred in accordance with the presentembodiment is polyester. For the present embodiment, the monolayer filmpreferably comprises at least about 85% of the overall compositethickness.

Outer coating 120 is a heat sensitive, thermal image coating asdiscussed above with respect to outer coating 20. Outer coating 110dissipates static charges on the opposite surface.

Turning to the present inventive method, the present composite ispreferably made by forming the film, orienting the film, applying thethermal image coating and, if one is employed, the anti-static coating.The film may be extruded or coextruded by any conventional means such asa blown film process or a cast film process. Most preferably, the filmis extruded or coextruded through a flat die.

Thereafter, the film is oriented. Orientation is necessary to thepresent invention in order to render the film sufficiently stiff to runthrough a register or printer. It should be noted that as the filmthickness is decreased to a level that is commercially cost effective,the film stiffness decreases substantially. Thus, although a 1-mil thickstatic free film may have sufficient machine direction stiffness, athermoplastic film with this thickness is not economically viable as aregister tape. It is therefore necessary to reduce the film thickness toreach a film cost per unit area which is economically viable and whichhas sufficient machine direction stiffness to function in commercialregister printers. Accordingly, the present film, which most preferablyhas a thickness of from about 0.50 mils to about 0.75 mils, must have a1% secant modulus in the machine direction of at least about 150,000psi, preferably at least about 200,000 psi, more preferably at leastabout 300,000 psi, more preferably at least about 400,000 psi, mostpreferably at least about 500,000 psi. In order to achieve thisstiffness, the film may be uniaxially oriented in the machine directionwith a machine direction stretch ratio in the range of from about 1.5×to about 10.0×. This degree of orientation improves machine directionstiffness by 2 to 5 times as compared to a non-oriented film.Alternatively, the film may be biaxially oriented such that the productof the machine direction and transverse direction stretch ratios is fromabout 2.0× to about 50×. In accordance with the present invention,orientation may take place in one step or in a series of stretchingsteps. Regardless of the type of orientation, thereafter the film mustbe thermally stabilized, i.e., annealed or heat set, in order to renderit essentially non-heat shrinkable. Orientation and annealing may beperformed either in-line or out-of-line with coextrusion.

Following orientation and heat stabilization, the outer film surface orsurfaces which are to receive subsequent coating preferably aresubjected to a surface treatment such as, preferably, corona discharge,flame or chemical treatment, prior to the application of such coating.Such surface treatment is employed to ensure adherence of the coating tothe outer surface of the film.

Thereafter, the outer coating or coatings are applied in a conventionalmanner.

Following extrusion, orientation, heat stabilization, surface adhesiontreatment and coating, the film is slit and wound into roll sizes usefulin commercial register printers. All process steps may be performedeither in-line or out-of-line with the preceding step.

For those embodiments employing a multilayer film, the materials foreach film layer are preferably dry or melt blended prior to extrusion toimprove uniformity. Although not required, intermediate layers, such astie layers or other structural layers, may be included in the presentmultilayer film structure.

Thus, the present invention advantageously provides a thermoplasticregister or receipt tape of sufficiently reduced thickness to becommercially desirable for replacement of a conventional paper tape,which is of sufficient stiffness to run through a conventional printerand which has adequate anti-static properties for printing. However, itshould be noted that if a non-migratory anti-static additive is includedin a film layer such as first outer layer 16, discussed above withrespect to FIG. 1, one might expect that the subsequent orientation,which is necessary to improve stiffness and to reduce the filmthickness, might disrupt the non-migratory anti-static additive matrixstructure such that the anti-static properties of the film would belost. It has been unexpectedly found in accordance with the presentinvention that this is not the case. For example, the 2.5-mil thick highdensity polyethylene film of Example 1, below, was produced with anon-migratory antistatic additive in the outer layer in a conventionalblown film process. The layer thickness ratios for this structure were10% for the first outer layer, 80% for the core layer, and 10% for thesecond outer layer. The surface resistivity of the first outer layer ofthis film was 10¹⁰ ohms. The surface resistivity of the second outerlayer that did not contain an anti-static additive was 10¹² ohms. Thisfilm was stretched in the machine direction 5× to reach a final filmthickness of 0.5 mils. There was no transverse direction stretch. Thesurface resistivity of the first outer layer after stretching was 10¹⁰ohms while the second outer layer remained at 10¹² ohms. The machinedirection stretch therefore did not disrupt the anti-static additivematrix in the first outer layer and did not disturb the overallanti-static property of the film.

Further illustrations of the present invention are provided in theexamples cited below.

EXAMPLE 1

A first outer layer, a core layer, and a second outer layer werecoextruded through a circular die and blown to form a three layerself-supporting film having a thickness of 2.5 mils. The layer percentthickness ratio was 10:80:10, respectively. The first outer layer wascomprised of 58% high density polyethylene, 2% titanium dioxide and 40%non-migratory anti-static additive. The core layer was comprised of 100%high density polyethylene. The second outer layer was comprised of 98%high density polyethylene and 2% titanium dioxide. The structure wascoextruded on a conventional blown film line using a 4:1 blow up ratio.

Wound film from the above extrusion operation was then stretched in aconventional roll-to-roll stretching unit where it was subjected to a5:1 machine direction stretch ratio. Following stretching, the secondouter layer was corona treated prior to winding the now 0.5 mil thickmachine direction oriented film. There was no transverse stretchemployed. Corona treated wound film from the stretching operation wasthen coated with a heat sensitive, thermal image coating on the coronatreated second outer layer surface. Following coating, the film was thenslit into roll sizes suitable for use in commercial register printers.

The resulting film structure had the following parameters andcharacteristics:

Nominal thickness: 0.5 mils 1% secant modulus in the machine approx.400,000 psi direction: Area factor: approx. 60,000 sq. in./pound Surfaceresistivity: First outer layer: 10¹⁰ ohms Second outer layer: >10¹² ohms

A film produced according to this example was tested in an NCR point ofsale printer, Class 7193, Model 3205-9001, where it ran through repeatedprinting cycles without jamming. A non-oriented film, also having a 0.5mil thickness and produced using the same materials and additives, wastested in the same printer. This film, which had a 1% machine directionsecant modulus of approximately 200,000 psi jammed repeatedly after lessthan five printing cycles.

EXAMPLE 2

A 4.0 mil thick high density polyethylene film in accordance with thepresent invention was produced with a non-migratory anti-static additivein the first outer layer in a conventional blown film process. The filmhad the same layer-by-layer composition and percent layer thicknesses asthe film of Example 1. The surface resistivity of the first layer was10¹⁰ ohms. The surface resistivity of the second outer layer that didnot contain an anti-static additive was 10¹² ohms. This film wasstretched in the machine direction 8× to reach a final film thickness of0.5 mils. There was no transverse direction stretch. The surfaceresistivity of first outer layer after stretching was 10¹¹ ohms whilethe second outer layer remained at 10¹² ohms. Even at this higher levelmachine direction stretch, the anti-static additive matrix in the firstouter layer was not disrupted to the point where the anti-staticproperty of the film was lost.

EXAMPLE 3

A 0.48 mil, biaxially oriented, heat stabilized, monolayer opaque whitePET film was obtained from a film distributor, Transfilm Corp., Ltd,Shanghai, China. Both outer surfaces of the film had been corona treatedby the manufacturer. One surface was coated with Protecoat 5977, a heatsensitive, thermal image coating supplied by NuCoat, Inc., Plymouth,Minn. The dry coating weight of the thermal image coating was about 3.0to 4.0 lbs./3,000 sq. ft. The opposed surface was coated with MECOstat3/112, an aqueous antistatic coating supplied by Energie-Kollektoren,GmbH, Allensbach, Germany. The wet coating weight for the antistaticcoating was about 0.75 to 1.5 lbs./3,000 sq. ft.

The resulting composite had a nominal thickness of 0.7 mils and a 1%secant modulus in the machine direction of approximately 550,000 psi.The surface resistivity of the surface bearing the thermal image coatingwas 10¹¹ ohms. The surface resistivity of the surface bearing theantistatic coating was 10⁹ ohms.

The final composite was printed on the surface bearing the thermal imagecoating on an Epson TM-T8811P Model M129B printer. Both the paperreceipt of Comparative Example 10 and the present plastic receipt wereprinted with a print density setting of 1. The print quality was goodcompared to the printed paper receipt of Comparative Example 10. Thepresent receipt was clearly legible, although a few characters had fadedareas.

EXAMPLE 4

A 0.48 mil, biaxially oriented, heat stabilized, monolayer opaque whitePET film was obtained from a film distributor, Transfilm Corp., Ltd,Shanghai, China. Both outer surfaces of the film had been corona treatedby the manufacturer. One surface was coated with Protecoat 5978, a heatsensitive, thermal image coating supplied by NuCoat, Inc., Plymouth,Minn. The dry coating weight of the thermal image coating was about 3.0to 4.0 lbs./3,000 sq. ft. The opposed surface was coated with MECOstat3/112, an aqueous antistatic coating supplied by Energie-Kollektoren,GmbH, Allensbach, Germany. The wet coating weight for the antistaticcoating was about 0.75 to 1.5 lbs./3,000 sq. ft.

The resulting composite had a nominal thickness of 0.6 mils and a 1%secant modulus in the machine direction of approximately 550,000 psi.The surface resistivity of the surface bearing the thermal image coatingwas 10¹¹ ohms. The surface resistivity of the surface bearing theantistatic coating was 10⁹ ohms.

The final composite was printed on the surface bearing the thermal imagecoating on an Epson TM-T8811P Model M129B printer. Both the paperreceipt of Comparative Example 10 and the present plastic receipt wereprinted with a print density setting of 1. The print quality wasexcellent as compared to the printed paper receipt of ComparativeExample 10, with very few characters having faded areas.

EXAMPLE 5

A 0.48 mil, biaxially oriented, heat stabilized, monolayer opaque whitePET film was obtained from a film distributor, Transfilm Corp., Ltd,Shanghai, China. Both outer surfaces of the film had been corona treatedby the manufacturer. One surface was coated with Protecoat 8468, a heatsensitive, thermal image coating supplied by NuCoat, Inc., Plymouth,Minn. The dry coating weight of the thermal image coating was about 3.0to 4.0 lbs./3,000 sq. ft. The opposed surface was coated with BaytronCPP 141D, an aqueous antistatic coating supplied by H.C. Starck, Inc,Newton, Mass. The wet coating weight for the antistatic coating wasabout 0.75 to 1.5 lbs./3,000 sq. ft.

The resulting composite had a nominal thickness of 0.6 mils and a 1%secant modulus in the machine direction of approximately 550,000 psi.The surface resistivity of the surface bearing the thermal image coatingwas 10¹¹ ohms. The surface resistivity of the surface bearing theantistatic coating was 10⁶ ohms.

The final composite was printed on the surface bearing the thermal imagecoating on an Epson TM-T8811P Model M129B printer. Both the paperreceipt of Comparative Example 10 and the present plastic receipt wereprinted with a print density setting of 1. The print quality wasexcellent as compared to the printed paper receipt of ComparativeExample 10. All of the characters were clearly defined with no areas offading.

EXAMPLE 6

A 0.48 mil, biaxially oriented, heat stabilized, monolayer clear PETfilm was obtained from a film distributor, The Pilcher Hamilton Corp.,Greer, S.C. Both outer surfaces of the film had been corona treated bythe manufacturer. One surface was coated with Protecoat 5983, a heatsensitive, thermal image coating supplied by NuCoat, Inc., Plymouth,Minn. The dry coating weight of the thermal image coating was about 3.0to 4.0 lbs./3,000 sq. ft. The opposed surface was coated with MECOstat3/112, an aqueous antistatic coating supplied by Energie-Kollektoren,GmbH, Allensbach, Germany. The wet coating weight for the antistaticcoating was about 0.75 to 1.5 lbs./3,000 sq. ft.

The resulting composite had a nominal thickness of 0.75 mils and a 1%secant modulus in the machine direction of approximately 550,000 psi.The surface resistivity of the surface bearing the thermal image coatingwas 10¹² ohms. The surface resistivity of the surface bearing theantistatic coating was 10⁸ ohms.

The final composite was printed on the surface bearing the thermal imagecoating on an Epson TM-T8811P Model M129B printer. Both the paperreceipt of Comparative Example 10 and the present plastic receipt wereprinted with a print density setting of 1. The print quality was fair ascompared to the printed paper receipt of Comparative Example 10.Printing failed in some areas.

EXAMPLE 7

A 0.48 mil, biaxially oriented, heat stabilized, monolayer clear PETfilm was obtained from a film distributor, The Pilcher Hamilton Corp.,Greer, S.C. Both outer surfaces of the film had been corona treated bythe manufacturer. One surface was coated with Protecoat 8468, a heatsensitive, thermal image coating supplied by NuCoat, Inc., Plymouth,Minn. The dry coating weight of the thermal image coating was about 3.0to 4.0 lbs./3,000 sq. ft. The opposed surface was coated with BaytronCPP 141D, an aqueous antistatic coating supplied by H.C. Starck, Inc,Newton, Mass. The wet coating weight for the antistatic coating wasabout 0.75 to 1.5 lbs./3,000 sq. ft.

The resulting composite had a nominal thickness of 0.7 mils and a 1%secant modulus in the machine direction of approximately 550,000 psi.The surface resistivity of the surface bearing the thermal image coatingwas 10¹² ohms. The surface resistivity of the surface bearing theantistatic coating was 10⁶ ohms.

The final composite was printed on the surface bearing the thermal imagecoating on an Epson TM-T8811P Model M129B printer. Both the paperreceipt of Comparative Example 10 and the present plastic receipt wereprinted with a print density setting of 1. The print quality wasexcellent as compared to the printed paper receipt. All characters wereclear and well defined. However, there was not as much contrast betweenthe printed characters and the receipt background as the typical printedpaper receipt of Comparative Example 10.

EXAMPLE 8

A 0.48 mil, biaxially oriented, heat stabilized, three layer white mattfilm sold under the tradename Type YGD was obtained from themanufacturer, Fuwei Films Co. Ltd., China. Both outer surfaces of thefilm had been corona treated by the manufacturer. One surface was coatedwith Protecoat 8468, a heat sensitive, thermal image coating supplied byNuCoat, Inc., Plymouth, Minn. The dry coating weight of the thermalimage coating was about 3.0 to 4.0 lbs./3,000 sq. ft. The opposedsurface was coated with Baytron CPP 141D, an aqueous antistatic coatingsupplied by H.C. Starck, Inc, Newton, Mass. The wet coating weight forthe antistatic coating was about 0.75 to 1.5 lbs./3,000 sq. ft.

The resulting composite had a nominal thickness of 0.6 mils and a 1%secant modulus in the machine direction of approximately 232,000 psi.The surface resistivity of the surface bearing the thermal image coatingwas 10¹³ ohms. The surface resistivity of the surface bearing theantistatic coating was 10⁷ ohms.

The final composite was printed on the surface bearing the thermal imagecoating on an Epson TM-T8811P Model M129B printer. Both the paperreceipt of Comparative Example 10 and the present plastic receipt wereprinted with a print density setting of 1. The print quality was good ascompared to printed paper receipt of Comparative Example 10, although afew characters had faded areas.

EXAMPLE 9

A 0.48 mil, biaxially oriented, heat stabilized, three layer white mattfilm sold under the tradename Type YGD was obtained from themanufacturer, Fuwei Films Co. Ltd., China. Both outer surfaces of thefilm had been corona treated by the manufacturer. One surface was coatedwith Protecoat 5990, a heat sensitive, thermal image coating supplied byNuCoat, Inc., Plymouth, Minn. The dry coating weight of the thermalimage coating was about 3.0 to 4.0 lbs./3,000 sq. ft. The opposedsurface was coated with MECOstat 3/112, an aqueous antistatic coatingsupplied by Energie-Kollektoren, GmbH, Allensbach, Germany. The wetcoating weight for the antistatic coating was about 0.75 to 1.5lbs./3,000 sq. ft.

The resulting composite had a nominal thickness of 0.65 mils and a 1%secant modulus in the machine direction of approximately 232,000 psi.The surface resistivity of the surface bearing the thermal image coatingwas 10¹³ ohms. The surface resistivity of the surface bearing theantistatic coating was 10⁸ ohms.

The final composite was printed on the surface bearing the thermal imagecoating on an Epson TM-T8811P Model M129B printer. Both the paperreceipt of Comparative Example 10 and the present plastic receipt wereprinted with a print density setting of 1. The print quality wasexcellent as compared to the printed paper receipt. All of thecharacters were clear and well defined. The contrast between thecharacters and the background was of similar quality to the printedpaper receipt of Comparative Example 10.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 10

Epson Thermal Paper type SPE 1213 was obtained from a distributor, POSWorld, Atlanta, Ga. The paper had a nominal thickness of 2.2 mils and athermal image coating on one surface.

The paper was printed on the surface bearing the thermal image coatingon an Epson TM-T8811P Model M129B printer with a print density settingof 1. The print quality was excellent. All of the characters were clearand well defined with a good contrast between the characters and thebackground.

While the disclosed process has been described according to itspreferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that numerous other embodiments have been enabled by theforegoing disclosure. Accordingly, the foregoing embodiments are merelyexemplary of the present invention. Modifications, omissions,substitutions and rearrangements may be made to the foregoingembodiments without departing from the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

1. An oriented, thermoplastic composite for use as a register or receipttape, comprising: a) a monolayer film having a first outer film surfaceand a second outer film surface; b) an anti-static coating on the firstouter film surface; and c) a heat sensitive, thermal image coating onthe second outer film surface; wherein the composite is essentiallynon-heat shrinkable, has a thickness of from about 0.35 to about 1.50mils, and has a 1% secant modulus in the machine direction of at least150,000 psi.
 2. A composite as set forth in claim 1 having a thicknessof from about 0.50 to about 0.75 mils.
 3. A composite as set forth inclaim 1 having a 1% secant modulus in the machine direction of at leastabout 200,000 psi.
 4. A composite as set forth in claim 1 wherein themonolayer film comprises a polymer selected from the group consistingessentially of polyethylene, polypropylene, linear low densitypolyethylene, polystyrene, polyester and blends thereof.
 5. A compositeas set forth in claim 4 wherein the polymer comprises polyester.
 6. Acomposite as set forth in claim 1 wherein the film is biaxiallyoriented.
 7. A composite as set forth in claim 1 wherein the film isuniaxially oriented in the machine direction.
 8. A composite as setforth in claim 1 wherein at least one structural component has a pigmentblended therein.
 9. A composite as set forth in claim 1 wherein none ofthe structural components has a pigment blended therein.
 10. A methodfor making a thermoplastic composite suitable for use as a register orreceipt tape, comprising the steps of: a) extruding a monolayer filmhaving a first outer film surface and a second outer film surface; b)orienting the film; c) annealing the film; d) surface treating each ofthe first and second outer film surfaces, thereby preparing each surfacefor subsequent coating; e) applying an anti-static coating to the firstouter film surface; and f) applying a heat sensitive, thermal imagecoating to the second outer film surface, thereby forming an essentiallynon-heat shrinkable composite having a thickness of from about 0.35 toabout 1.50 mils and a 1% secant modulus in the machine direction of atleast 150,000 psi.
 11. The method set forth in claim 10 wherein the stepof orienting comprises biaxially orienting.
 12. The method set forth inclaim 11 wherein the product of the machine direction and transversedirection stretch ratios is from about 2.0× to about 50.0×.
 13. Themethod set forth in claim 10 wherein the step of surface treating eachof the first and second outer film surfaces comprises corona treating.14. An oriented, essentially non-heat shrinkable, thermoplasticcomposite for use as a register or receipt tape comprising: a filmhaving a first outer film surface and a second outer film surface, thefilm comprising at least a core layer; a heat sensitive, thermal imagecoating on the first outer film surface; and means for dissipatingstatic electrical charges; wherein none of the structural componentshave a pigment blended therein and wherein the composite has a thicknessof from about 0.35 to about 1.50 mils and a 1% secant modulus in themachine direction of at least 150,000 psi.
 15. A composite as set forthin claim 14 wherein the means for dissipating static electrical chargescomprises an outer film layer, the outer layer having an outermostsurface comprising the second outer film surface, the outer layercomprising an anti-static additive.
 16. A composite as set forth inclaim 14 wherein the means for dissipating static electrical chargescomprises an anti-static coating on the second outer film layer.
 17. Acomposite as set forth in claim 14 wherein the core layer of the filmcomprises a polymer selected from the group consisting essentially ofpolyethylene, polypropylene, linear low density polyethylene,polystyrene, polyester and blends thereof.
 18. A composite as set forthin claim 17 wherein the core layer of the film comprises polyester. 19.A composite as set forth in claim 18 wherein the film further comprisesat least one outer layer, the at least one outer layer comprising ablend of polyester and a further polymer, wherein the further polymer isimmiscible in polyester.